El Filósofo

Notes from a Zenned-Out Catholic

Blog

  • The Representation of Nothingness

    Have you ever tried to think of how mind-bogglingly big infinity is? I mean, really, have you tried to picture it? You wouldn’t be able to do so, of course. If you did, I expect the sheer volume of the concept would shatter your mind. On the other hand, however, are you able to picture… Keep reading

  • Depresso Espresso

    What I’m about to say is, in all honesty, incredibly personal and pertinent to me even as I write this, so it’ll likely be quite some time before anybody even has the opportunity to read what I’m about to say. Still, I thought I ought to write it all down because, if my sixth grade… Keep reading

  • The Zen Dialectic

    Probably my favourite class from undergrad was Plato and the Roots of Western Philosophy; and consequently, if anyone ever asks where to start with philosophy, I tell them to start by reading Plato. This is not because I think Plato’s ideas are absolutely right. (In fact, not one year after I finished that course I… Keep reading

  • The Pizza was Immaterial

    I want to wrestle with my conscience a wee bit. You see, the other day I was on my way home from picking up a pizza for dinner when I was stopped in the street by someone who asked for a slice. Naturally, I thought this to be a very strange thing to ask of… Keep reading

  • Ex nihilo

    In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth. —Genesis 1:1 This verse from Genesis, as understood by orthodox Christian theology, describes God creating the world ex nihilo; that is, from nothing. Imagine that! Granted this was said for comedic purposes, Ricky Gervais once remarked that this was an incredible statement: it’s not like God… Keep reading

  • The Answer / The Question

    What is “the answer”? That is, the answer to life, the universe, and everything? According to the Deep Thought supercomputer of Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it’s not an answer that we would like. Do you want to know what it is? Are you unperturbed on account of some morbid sense of curiosity?… Keep reading

  • Judaism

    Fun fact about me: I actually prefer the Old Testament to the New. I know what you’re about to say: “But it’s so horrid! There’s so many violent parts! There’s so many strange laws! It’s just so… ugh!” But do you know what? That’s exactly what I like about it. It’s not that I don’t… Keep reading

  • Chicken & Waffles

    Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, but what is breakfast? Aside from (incidentally) being my least favourite meal, most people would split the word in two and say that breakfast is when you break the fast. It is the first meal of your day. But what if, hypothetically, I… Keep reading

  • The Meaning of History

    Never let anything as trivial as facts get in the way of a good story. I don’t know how much I’ve properly written about my time in Rome. Most of my writing about it was posted to a class blog that I may have linked here, but all the same there remains a great deal… Keep reading

  • The Theologian’s Nightmare

    I hadn’t read much of Bertrand Russell until recently, when I came across a very short essay called The Theologian’s Nightmare. Mind! it’s less of an essay and more of a short story. In it, the esteemed theologian finds himself on the way to Heaven only to be subjected to greater inquisition than he was… Keep reading